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| - WireImage photographer Kevin Mazur captured the photo of Musk and Maxwell at the Vanity Fair Oscars party on March 2, 2014. The picture stood as the only known image of the pair. No photographic evidence existed to suggest they conversed or greeted each other. Musk later responded to a question about the picture and claimed that he didn't know Maxwell, and that she had "photobombed" him.
A photo supposedly showing billionaire Elon Musk and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell together at a party has circulated online for years.
For example, on Feb. 22, 2025, a Reddit user shared (archived) a screenshot of an X post with the photo, writing, "Be a shame if this f***ing picture got around."
The picture was real. In other words, a user did not create the image using artificial intelligence (AI) software or digital editing tools. A photographer captured the moment at the Vanity Fair Oscars party on March 2, 2014.
Musk claims Maxwell 'photobombed' him
On July 2, 2020, an X user asked Musk about the photo of him with Maxwell. In response, he referenced photobombing — the act of posing behind someone in a picture without their knowledge — writing, "Don't know Ghislaine at all. She photobombed me once at a Vanity Fair party several years ago. Real question is why VF invited her in the first place."
The New York Times reported a spokesperson for Musk said of the moment, "Ghislaine simply inserted herself behind him in a photo he was posing for without his knowledge."
On July 4, 2020, Musk again addressed the picture, asking why Maxwell had been invited to the Vanity Fair Oscars party.
We previously reached out to Vanity Fair in 2022 to ask about Maxwell's presence at the party but did not receive a response.
Background on Epstein's death, Maxwell's conviction
On July 6, 2019, federal officials arrested Epstein on charges of sex trafficking and engaging in sex acts with underage girls. According to The Associated Press, Epstein previously agreed to a secret plea deal that ended a federal investigation that could have landed him in prison for life.
Then, on Aug. 10, jail guards found Epstein dead in his cell. According to a medical examiner's autopsy report, Epstein died as a result of a suicide by hanging. His death set off a wave of new conspiracy theories.
As for Maxwell, CNN reported that a jury in late 2021 found her guilty of five federal charges, including "sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and three related counts of conspiracy."
Photos of the 2014 Vanity Fair Party
According to the Getty Images website, WireImage photographer Kevin Mazur captured at least 565 pictures at the party, including the one of Musk and Maxwell.
Another WireImage photographer, Jeff Vespa, made available for licensing 585 additional pictures of the party. Out of 1,150 total photos from the event, only the in-question picture showed Musk and Maxwell. No other evidence suggested the two had conversed or greeted each other at the function.
The full-length picture of Musk and Maxwell from the Getty Images website. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/VF14/WireImage)
Mazur also captured pictures of Maxwell speaking with someone referred to as a "guest." Meanwhile, only one other photo showed Musk at the party — an image of him with his wife at the time, actor Talulah Riley, and actor Sacha Baron Cohen.
In 2021, a fake cover of Time magazine featuring the photo of Musk and Maxwell circulated as purported evidence of the publication naming them its annual person of the year. USA Today reported on the misleading use of the photo. Time awarded the honor only to Musk that year.
Additionally, the Australian website news.com.au published details of past purported interactions between Musk and Epstein before his death.
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